A second-half Minnesota surge led the Golden Gophers to a 59-56 win over Yale at Williams Arena before 8,205 fans Saturday.
The Bulldogs had led by as many as 14 (25-11) in the first half and held a 29-19 halftime lead.
Minnesota came out far more aggressively in the second half and spread the floor effectively. The hosts also made a concerted effort to get the ball to preseason All-Big Ten senior forward Dawson Garcia. Garcia registered 19 second-half points after managing only five in the first half.
“We are bending but not breaking,” Minnesota coach Ben Johnson said.
Minnesota cut the deficit to 34-32 on a 15-3 run during which it went 5-for-7 from the field, after going only 8-for-27 in the first half. During the run, Yale was without senior guard Bez Mbeng, who was sitting with three fouls.
A Garcia trey cut the deficit to 38-37, and a lay-in by senior forward Femi Odukale gave Minnesota a 39-38 lead after Yale had led for approximately 23 minutes.
Yale (2-3) went up 45-43 as sophomore center Samson Aletan muscled to the basket on a drive.
Yale freshman Isaac Celiscar knotted the game at 50 with his only trey of the game. The Winter Haven, Fla. native finished with 11 points and 7 rebounds, in only 18 minutes of play.
A little hook by Minnesota senior guard Lu’Cye Patterson put the Golden Gophers up 54-50. Senior guard John Poulakidas hit a 3 to cut it to 54-53 and then Mbeng fouled out on the next possession at 1:14.
Garcia made 2 free throws to give Minnesota (3-1) a 59-53 lead. Poulakidas hit a trey at the buzzer.
“Tough road loss today, we had our chances but failed to execute during key stretches in the game,” Yale coach James Jones said.
Poulakidas led Yale with 21 points on 4-for-7 shooting from three-point land. He has led Yale in scoring in every game.
Yale outrebounded the Big Ten foe, 37-34. The Bulldogs were 9-for-12 from the charity stripe and Minnesota 16-for-26. Getting a fair whistle is always a challenge in a road buy game.
Yale is looking for another three-point shooting threat. Poulakidas has made 19 of Yale’s 44 triples.
Senior guard Brennan Rigsby added 15 points and six rebounds for Minnesota.
Yale is next in action on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Stony Brook.